Year by year · 20th century

1971

1971 in world history: 20 events, 1 birth, 14 deaths, 2 works, 4 states founded and 4 that came to an end. 232 recorded states existed that year.

Events

  1. 25 January

    Idi Amin seizes power in Uganda

    While President Milton Obote was abroad, army commander Idi Amin took power in a coup. His eight-year rule saw the expulsion of Uganda's Asians and the killing of an estimated 100,000 to 500,000 people.

  2. 31 January

    Apollo 14 launches for the Moon

    Alan Shepard, Stuart Roosa and Edgar Mitchell lifted off from Kennedy Space Center. Landing at Fra Mauro on 5 February, Shepard famously hit two golf balls on the lunar surface.

  3. 2 February

    Idi Amin proclaims himself President of Uganda

    A week after his coup, Amin declared himself head of state and suspended parts of the constitution. His rule became one of the most brutal in post-colonial Africa until his overthrow in 1979.

  4. 5 February

    Apollo 14 lands at Fra Mauro

    Alan Shepard and Edgar Mitchell landed in the lunar highlands, the target of the aborted Apollo 13. Shepard, America's first astronaut in space, became the fifth person to walk on the Moon.

  5. 8 March

    Joe Frazier beats Muhammad Ali in the 'Fight of the Century'

    At Madison Square Garden, Frazier won a unanimous decision after knocking Ali down in the 15th round. It was Ali's first professional defeat.

  6. 26 March

    Bangladesh declares independence from Pakistan

    After the Pakistani army's crackdown in Dhaka, independence was proclaimed in the name of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. Nine months of war followed, and Bangladesh won its freedom in December 1971.

    Pakistan

  7. 31 July

    Apollo 15 astronauts drive the first rover on the Moon

    David Scott and James Irwin took the battery-powered Lunar Roving Vehicle on its first drive near Hadley Rille. The rover let astronauts range much farther from their lander to collect samples.

  8. 2 December

    The United Arab Emirates is founded

    Six of the Trucial States, led by Abu Dhabi and Dubai, formed the United Arab Emirates after Britain's withdrawal from the Gulf. Ras al-Khaimah joined in 1972.

  9. War

    Bangladesh Liberation War

    The Bangladesh Liberation War was the conflict of 1971 in which East Pakistan won independence as Bangladesh.

  10. Event

    United Nations General Assembly Resolution 2758

    United Nations General Assembly Resolution 2758, adopted on 25 October 1971, recognised the representatives of the People's Republic of China as the only lawful representatives of China at the United Nations.

  11. Treaty

    Okinawa Reversion Agreement

    The Okinawa Reversion Agreement was a treaty between the United States and Japan, signed on 17 June 1971, under which the Ryukyu Islands, administered by the United States since 1945, returned to Japanese sovereignty on 15 May 1972.

ProfileState228 states with a known seat in 1971Open the atlas at 1971 →

In the profiles

Wars and longer events

Born in 1971 1

Died in 1971 14

Works 2

States founded 4

States that came to an end 4

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Cite this page
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). 1971. In The Epoch Institute, Year by Year. https://the-epoch-institute.org/years/1971
MLA
“1971.” The Epoch Institute, Year by Year, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/years/1971. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “1971.” The Epoch Institute, Year by Year. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/years/1971.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘1971’, The Epoch Institute, Year by Year. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/years/1971 (Accessed: ).